Montgomery "Monty" Earl
"What? You want a reward for rescuing helpless little Monty? Well, you're not getting one." - Monty, Lockdown Montgomery Earl is an inmate introduced in Lockdown as one of the three boys who arrived with Alex in Furnace. Appearance Monty is described as an overweight teenage boy with piercing green eyes. He has a brown birthmark on his upper arm about the size of a grapefruit but in the shape of a heart. Personality Monty is considered to be one of the weaker inmates in Furnace, and often ends up as the victim to the harassment and abuse. Despite being treated so poorly, Monty is very stubborn about not wanting help from others which causes tension between him and Alex. Monty tends to be bitter and cynical, rejecting the idea of escaping immediately from the beginning. He does have a softer side to him though, he misses his sister and the enjoyment he had when he was able to cook. Main Story Back Story "Susan used to say that being a good chef isn't about cooking a good meal; it's about cooking for good people." - Monty, Lockdown Monty was falsely convicted for the murder of his older sister, Susan. The two had a very good relationship, and used to cook together and make up their own recipes. In a story he talks about how his home they used to play a game about gathering vegetables from their garden without being "spotted" by a garden gnome. [[Lockdown|'Lockdown']] To see this text, click the "Expand" link on the right Monty is first introduced in Lockdown on the elevator ride down to the prison with Alex, Zee and Jimmy. Monty is quiet in the elevator, but reveals he'd been accused of murdering his sister. While Alex, Zee and Jimmy swear to find an escape together Monty refuses the idea altogether, sure that there's no way out. When the four boys exit the elevator they are immediately greeted by the Skulls and their leader Kevin. Unfortunately, the warden assigns Monty to be Kevin's cell mate on the fifth floor. Kevin torments Monty that first night and makes him sleep on the floor of their cell. The next time Monty is shown is in the trough room where he is forced to like slop off the ground as the Skulls beat him up. Monty is saved when Alex goes in and starts a fight with the Skulls, and Monty flees once he gets the chance. However, due to Alex's actions causing a lockdown and the inadvertent death of one of the warden's dogs, the warden shuts down the canteen and threatens a week of solitary for anyone who starts fighting. When Alex confronts Monty in the chipping room Monty scolds Alex for stepping in to help claiming that he doesn't need anybody's help, and that it was all Alex's fault for getting the canteen shut down. Four days after the confrontation, upon overhearing a conversation between Alex, Donovan and Zee about cooking, Monty decides to make things up between them. He talks a little bit about his past and cooking with his sister and then prepares a steak and tomato sauce meal for Alex, Donovan and Zee. The three are incredibly grateful for the meal (Donovan even cries after not having a proper meal in so long) and the tension between Monty and Alex eases a little. That night however, is the first time a bloodwatch comes around the prison. Monty's cell is selected by a wheezer when Kevin sabotages Monty by shoving him into the sight of the wheezer. Monty is then stabbed with a needle by one of the wheezers and is then dragged down into the infirmary. A couple days pass when the bloodwatch returns once more, this time bringing back an mutilated grotesque creature up to Kevin's cell. The creature is furious and kills Kevin within the cell before tearing the boy to pieces. Once the creature had left, Alex who had been watching the whole time spotted a birthmark on the creatures shoulders and knew that whatever the thing was used to be Monty. For a number of weeks there's no sign of whatever Monty had become. But, on the day that Alex enacts his escape plans and blows Room Two one of the blacksuits kills Moleface, who'd been close to killing Alex. The blacksuit in question had been severely injured by the explosion, but in his last living moments gives Alex a final piece of advice: "If they catch you, don't forget your name." It is then that Alex realizes that the blacksuit that saved him was Monty. Relationships Susan Monty's older sister. Not much is known about her but that she had been murdered by the blacksuits, and that she and Monty had a very close relationship with their fondness of cooking. Alex Sawyer Initially, the two start off on the wrong foot. Monty refuses Alex's help, but eventually owns up for being ungrateful and cooks for him. The interesting part however has to do with the end of Lockdown, when Monty tells Alex not to forget his name. The mantra of "don't forget your name" is what keeps Alex stable in his identity for the rest of the books. Appearances * Lockdown Category:Prisoners Category:Characters Category:Escape From Furnace